Kingston – ever a day tripper’s leisure destination – would share much of the capital’s buzz, becoming not only a hotspot for touring American bands but a factory of local creativity in itself. Between 1962 and 1999, some of the world’s most famous bands would grace the stages of Kingston’s local pubs and live music venues, with David Bowie unveiling his famous ‘Ziggy Stardust’ persona for the first time at the Toby Jug pub in Tolworth in February 1972.
The prolific Kingston School of Art has fostered the careers of famous alumni from David Nash to Glenda Bailey, with local boy Eric Clapton going on to world acclaim, following his stint at the college and busking on the streets of Kingston and Richmond. The notoriety of the college has continued to have a profound effect on the volume of creative people residing in the borough and contributing to its astounding cultural output.
In 1965, under the new leadership of Daphne Booker, the School of Art’s Fashion students won first-prize at the St. Gall Fashion Awards – a first for the UK against the established European winners – signalling the emergence of the ‘London Look’ as the signature style of the decade. In the same year, businessman Stanley Picker – himself a major benefactor to the University through the Stanley Picker Fellowships and Stanley Picker Gallery – struck a lucrative deal with trailblazing 1960’s fashion designer Mary Quant, to manufacture, licence and sell her thriving makeup line from his Gala Cosmetics Factory in Chessington.
Quant’s signature playful and androgynous style helped redefine the decade, and launched the ‘Youthquake’ phenomenon which pervaded music and popular culture of the time. This cultivated a newfound respect for the ideas and values of young people to shape and influence the world they wished to inherit. A powerful legacy left by this moment in history, this is a mantle that Creative Youth is proud to take on.
From 1 February until 23 March 2024, the AMP Heritage Trail was activated with installations at multiple sites across Kingston and neighbouring areas including FUSEBOX, Rose Theatre, Bacchus Late Bar, Kingston Museum, Kingston University, The Fighting Cocks, The Grey Horse, The Stanley Picker Gallery, Dorich House Museum, The Lamb Surbiton, and the Eel Pie Island Museum.
You can still discover the history of these venues online. Click on any of the stops on the Trail Map above to learn more.
This project is an ever-evolving picture of Kingston’s rich cultural legacy, past, present and future. To share your memories or thoughts, please email ampresearcher@creativeyouthcharity.org
You can find the full list of venues below:
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